Hortensa de Medici

Cortenza de Medici (1515-1558) was a Florentine noblewoman and a member of the House of Medici. She was murdered in 1558 due to her large debts.

Biography
Cortenza de Medici was born in Florence in 1515, the cousin of Roman de Medici and Catherine de Medici. She was in love with Prince Henry of France before it was decided that Catherine, and not Cortenza, would marry him and become his Queen. In 1558, she and Roman visited Catherine at the Palace of Fontainebleau, where Cortenza demanded the return of the guards which she had loaned to Catherine. However, Cortenza was decapitated in her room by the mercenary John Priveaux, who had been hired to murder her due to her large, unpaid debts.